» CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Four-time Division I All-American at Cornell University, winning 125-pound national title in 2009 en route to 97-8 college career.

Five-time high school state champion (Chenargo Forks High School, Binghamton, N.Y.) with a 217-6 record.

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Name recognition and coaching experience at the Division I level are accolades tagged to Troy Nickerson, the new wrestling coach at the University of Northern Colorado.

Nickerson comes to UNC after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Iowa State University after an illustrious career at Chenargo Forks High School (five state titles, 217-6 overall record) in Binghamton, N.Y., and arguably one of the best-ever collegiate careers at Cornell University.

Nickerson replaces Ben Cherrington, who resigned last month.

Nickerson takes over a program that finished the last two seasons academically ineligible for postseason competition and then failing to qualify anybody for this year’s NCAA Championships.

Nickerson, 27, was en route to UNC Monday afternoon and talked with his new team on Monday night.

“I think we have a lot of talent on this team and it will be a little bit of a learning curve,” Nickerson said. “Looking at the roster, there are a lot of guys that have a lot of potential. I’ve talked with other coaches in the (Western Wrestling) conference, and they see that as well.”

Nickerson’s annual salary will be $61,000, notably more than the $44,774 that Cherrington earned.

Nickerson’s contract is for one year as the only multi-year contracts for head coaches are volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football.

“After a lengthy, diligent process, we found a great leader for or wrestling program,” UNC athletic director Darren Dunn said in a press release. “He’s a bright star in wrestling, familiar with Colorado wrestling and he’ll be a great mentor for our student-athletes.”

At Cornell, Nickerson was a four-time All-American at 125 pounds, never finishing lower than fourth in the NCAA Championship Tournament and winning the title in 2009 en route to finish his collegiate career with a 97-8 record.

One of his primary roles at Iowa State was to recruit across the entire nation and help the Cyclones return to prominence under legendary head coach Kevin Jackson. He was in charge of coaching the lightweight division at ISU.

Nickerson’s original plan was to attend medical school after earning a 3.2 grade-point average at Cornell, majoring in pre-medicine.

However, his love for the sport directed him into coaching and he coached the highly-regarded Finger Lakes Wrestling Club in Ithaca, N.Y., for two seasons, guiding wrestlers from youth, high school, college and senior-age divisions.

Dunn scoured the nation for advice on Nickerson, including conversations with Rich Bender, the executive director of USA Wrestling and Cornell head coach Rob Koll.

“Troy is a legend in New York state and is certainly known nationwide,” Koll said in a press release. “He was a phenomenal high school wrestler and a gutsy competitor. He found a way to win a national title, literally (with) one arm.”

Nickerson won his NCAA title despite a shoulder injury that required it to be heavily wrapped, highly limiting his motion.

“Cornell’s tough as it is, but to be a pre-med major and to be a four-time NCAA All-American give you the idea of the type of focus and time management skills and discipline that Troy possesses,” Koll added.

Nickerson made a run at making the United States Olympic team for the 2012 games after finishing second at the 2010 US Open and training full-time at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

He later moved his training camp to Ithaca N.Y. at Cornell University, but failed to make the Olympic team.

Nickerson expects to begin full-time next week, but has yet to decide on his staff.

“I don’t have any of that worked out yet, but I plan on bringing in another high-profile candidate with lots of experience,” Nickerson said. “I have some guys in mind, but I want to see what’s out there and find the right staff.”

Nickerson is engaged to Allie Dahmke, whom he met in Iowa. They plan to be married in August.

In the meantime, Nickerson will hit the ground running on the recruiting trail.

“It’s (recruiting) is one of my priorities,” Nickerson said. “It’s one of the areas that we need to improve on. We’re going to see what’s out there and bring in the best we can to Northern Colorado.”

“Looking at the roster, there are a lot of guys that have a lot of potential. — Troy Nickerson, new UNC wrestling coach